The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said Friday the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February was 7 percent, unchanged from January.

Family services spokesman Ben Johnson says economists would hope to see the labor force growing more than it has at this point in a recovery, but adds the good news is the total number of unemployed is significantly down from a year ago.

The state’s leaders have said Ohio’s economy and its job market are getting stronger, though the process is slow.

Ohio’s unemployment rate has remained about a percentage point below the U.S. rate, which was 7.7 percent in February.